Katie and Whitney Repole never had the same interests growing up, despite being born seven minutes apart.

Katie loved fishing and playing catch in the backyard. Whitney preferred Barbies and books.

But eventually, the twins found a common passion for softball that's paid off for Smithson Valley. As seniors, they've led the Rangers (24-5) to the Class 4A regional semifinals, where they face Alice in a best-of-3 series beginning Friday.

What about softball appealed to them both?

“We're almost competitive to a fault,” said Katie, a third baseman signed with Illinois.

They have more than that in common.

Both have perfect softball nicknames, even if their origins have nothing to do with the sport.

Katie was officially dubbed “Crash” when she was 8 years old because of her clumsy habit of falling down.

“When she came out of the womb, she wanted to play softball,” Smithson Valley coach Lisa Daigle said.

Whitney, a left fielder, became “Rip” after a volleyball coach couldn't properly pronounce her last name. It fits now more than ever as she leads the team with nine home runs and 46 RBIs.

“She got into (softball) later, but she really committed to it,” said their father, Brian Repole. “She's really blossomed.”

Both have also recovered from torn ACLs with incredible speed.

Whitney injured her knee during a game as a sophomore. She was playing again only three months later in time for select season, which helped her be seen by college coaches. She signed with Iowa last fall.

“I hadn't been recruited, and I was hurt,” she said. “I had to get back as fast as I could.”

Katie suffered her injury this winter on a ski trip. She had surgery Dec. 29. She was back March 30 and hit a three-run home run in a win over rival New Braunfels Canyon.

“You can't imagine how hard she worked to get back,” Daigle said. “She was just relentless.”

Both have taken that work ethic into the playoffs.

They've had plenty of success during their time at Smithson Valley — four district titles and a Class 5A state championship when they were freshmen — but last year's third-round loss to Dripping Springs is fresh in their minds.

The Rangers had only one hit in that 1-0 loss. In this year's playoffs, they've averaged 10.3 runs per game. Whitney hit the game-winning home run in last week's 5-4 win over Lockhart.

“I think we knew that we were the better team, but we just didn't show up that day,” Katie said. “Everyone's more mature offensively, and that's really carried us. It's paying off.”

The twins still are different people. Whitney, a self-described Harry Potter addict, plans on studying creative writing at Iowa. Katie wants to become a softball coach one day.

But there's one final common goal to accomplish: winning a state championship.

“That would be incredible,” Whitney said. “We're getting a second chance to do what we didn't last year. No one is taking it for granted.”